Access control systems typically involve the use of credentials to manage the operation of an access control device (e.g., a lock device). Such credentials may be assigned to a particular user or device and are often physical in nature, forming at least a portion of, for example, a smartcard, proximity card, key fob, token device, or mobile device. Thus, credential systems generally require an interaction between the credential and a reader device (e.g., on or secured to the access control device) such that the reader device may read the credential and determine whether access should be granted. In particular, a user may be required to swipe, tap, or otherwise present the credential to the reader device.
Credential management systems are often communicatively coupled to an access control device to manage various configuration data including, for example, user access permissions associated with various credentials. In order to update a credential itself, however, the credential is often physically returned to the office of the facility's access control manager in order to reprogram the credential. In other circumstances, the access control system may include “hotspot readers” that have direct connections to a back-end server such as the credential management system. As such, the hotspot reader is able to update the information on the credential while it is being presented to the reader by acting as a “pull” by which the reader notifies the credential management system that the credential is currently being presented to the reader and “pulls” the relevant credential information from the system in real-time to update the credential. Further, the management system may act as a “decision at host” system by which the access control device transmits credential information to the management system for authentication and the management system makes the access control decision.
“No tour” functionality allows access control managers use a credential enrollment reader, for example, to store configuration data (e.g., new access credentials) for an access control device onto a credential, which are provided to the target access control device(s) upon presentation of the credential to that device for configuration. As such, “no tour” functionality allows authorized credentials to be added to, or revoked from, an access control database of an access control device without requiring the access control manager or technician to visit the access control device herself (e.g., with a mobile device).